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Frequently asked questions

Chelan County Public Utility District was formed in 1936 by local voters who wanted affordable power for all county residents. We delivered our first electricity 11 years later, to a small group of customers near Lake Chelan. Today, we operate three hydro projects that deliver clean, renewable, low-cost energy to local residents and to other utilities that serve millions of residents of the Pacific Northwest.

Electric rates

Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, Chelan County PUD moved to a flat residential rate for electricity of just 2.7 cents per kilowatt hour. That's one of the lowest rates in the nation. This new approach to rates will lower bills for most residential customers.

Our parks were developed under recreation plans required by the federal government as part of the PUD's licenses to operate the Rocky Reach, Rock Island, and Lake Chelan hydro projects. Between 1978 and 1995, the PUD spent $67 million developing these 14 recreation facilities.

Chelan PUD has built a fiber-optic network to most of Chelan County, where many residents have access to the fastest connection anywhere in the world including high-speed internet, telephone and basic and HDTV television. These services are available through local service providers where you can expect a high level of customer service at competitive prices.

Hydropower has traditionally been considered environmentally friendly because it represents a clean and renewable energy source. The term renewable refers to the hydrologic cycle that circulates water back to our rivers, streams, and lakes each year. At hydroelectric projects, this water is used as fuel to generate electricity. In contrast, fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, or oil must be extracted from the earth and burned to produce electricity. The term clean is also used because production of electricity with hydropower does not pollute the air, contribute to acid rain or ozone depletion because of carbon dioxide emissions, or (like nuclear power) leave highly toxic waste that is difficult to dispose of.

From major projects such as the innovative juvenile fish bypass at Rocky Reach Dam to erosion control on small tributary streams, the PUD works to protect endangered species, enhance watershed and riparian zones, and mitigate impacts from hydro operations.

In Chelan County, we enjoy many benefits of public power—reliable electricity at low rates, fast internet, clean water, fourteen parks, and countless secondary benefits to our local economy, health, and more. Why? Because previous generations in Chelan County had the foresight to invest in the hydroelectric projects that power our quality of life. In 2015, Commissioners asked the public to help identify ways to boost quality of life in Chelan County through a Public Power Benefit program.

Public Power Benefits might be services like expanded fiber availability or a day use parking pass, or an amenity like a splash pad water feature at a park. These are optional PUD services meant to enhance the quality of life in Chelan County. They are funded using a portion of electric revenues, as determined annually by Commissioners. This is a new program, and Commissioners are currently focusing on the five project areas.